This invention relates in general to seating and, more particularly, to a backrest assembly for wheelchairs.
The typical wheelchair has a pair of side frames to which the wheels of the chair are attached and struts interposed between the frames for maintaining them apart and generally parallel. The struts for most wheelchairs collapse to enable the side frames to move together, thus allowing the wheelchair to assume a more compact configuration for storage or transport. Usually, the seat and backrest are nothing more than flexible slings that extend between the two frames. While the slings fold with the chair as it assumes its compact configuration, they fail to provide a truly optimum seating surface or back surface. Much of the problem resides in the seat, and special seat cushions are available to improve seating posture and reduce the incidence of pressure sores. Some individuals, particularly those whose muscles have atrophied or those who have spinal deformities, need better support than a traditional sling-type backrest can provide.
Special contoured backs exist, but to a large measure they are custom made to accommodate the problems peculiar to individual users, and thus are very expensive. More universal backrests of a rigid character also exist, but they are difficult to adjust to accommodate the needs of individual users, do not accommodate different width chairs, and furthermore are not easily removed from chairs to enable such chairs to fold to their compact configurations.
The present invention resides in a backrest assembly for enhancing the posture and comfort of those confined to wheelchairs. Aside from a contoured backrest, it includes outriggers and brackets for supporting the backrest on the backposts that rise upwardly from the side frames of a wheelchair. The brackets and outriggers are such that the backrest may be moved to a multitude of positions--and in that sense the backrest is suited for use by a wide variety of individuals. The backrest outriggers also are adjustable in width to accommodate chairs of different widths and to reduce the number of different sizes that must be kept in inventory. Moreover, the backrest is easily removed from the wheelchair, so that the wheelchair may be folded to a compact configuration.
These and other objects and advantages will become apparent hereinafter.